Bump In The Night
by oldscout1011
Summary: Faith Discovers why the hunting is scarce in New York City. Crossover with Hellboy
1. In The Night

Faith Discovers why the hunting is scarce in New York City  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of characters, I'm just borrowing them for a while.  
  
Authors Note: This is a crossover with Hellboy the movie. A single viewing of the movie and a little internet research is all of my exposure to Hellboy so please forgive if I'm not up to snuff on the comic story line, but I'll at least try to resemble the movie characters. This could develop into a longer story, but right now, I only have a couple of chapters thought out, more of a foundation to the crossover.  
  
Bump In The Night  
By OldScout  
  
Faith crouched on the ledge in the old subway tunnel and surveyed the lair. Water dripped from old pipes, steam rose around debris on the floor and the distinct smell of decay permeated everything. The whole scene was lit by bare bulbs somebody had spliced into passing power lines, the remains of subway tunnel lighting, smoldering burn barrels and other assorted light sources trickeled in from nearby chambers. The tunnel shook as a train rumbled through somewhere overhead.  
  
It only took a month in the Big Apple for Faith to find her way here; she supposed that was some sort of record. She had been looking for the gang of vampires for a week and had finally tracked them into these tunnels. She'd been on her way out clubbing when she finally got her break and saw the group of vamps disappear into a broken maintenance grate. Thankfully even though she was one her way out on the town, she stilled dressed sensibly Slayer chic with black leather pants, thin brown lace top and long black cloth duster. The duster was always a good choice since it helped to hide the multitude of weapons she carried even when just going out dancing.  
  
Stilling clutching the stake she'd dusted a couple of look outs with, Faith opened a small lighted compact and checked her face. "Damn," she thought, "I've got dirt on my cheek." She brushed the smudge away with her thumb then re-applied her dark red lipstick. "Can't let the vamps see me all messed up before I dust them." She smiled at the thought. She loved being vain in these hell holes, it gave her life meaning.  
  
Someone was coming, she heard the sound of foot steps and low murmurs before anybody else would have. A single figure walked carefully down the middle of the tunnel. The man moved forward with the slow deliberate routine of somebody checking every corner for threats before moving on. She watched as he swung his hand gun from section to section waiting for an attack. He wore a long black trench coat over a dark suit, white shirt and black tie. He had a short tight hair cut and was clean shaven; Faith guessed he was in his mid to late twenties. As he walked, he kept talking into a small microphone that hung from a receiver in his left ear.  
  
"Red can you hear me? Come on guys where'd you go?" The agent stopped not too far from Faith perched on her ledge above. Something else moved.  
  
"Okay, who's out there?" He said. "Show yourselves." He swung around, aiming at the figures as they emerged from the shadows; Vampires in their game faces.  
  
"What have we here?" A female asked. "Dinner, all gift wrapped and presented nice and pretty."  
  
"Hey Red, somebody," He said into his mike again. "I could really use some backup."  
  
"I think your friends took a left when you took a right." Another creature said.  
  
As the little confrontation was taking place Faith dropped silently from the ledge into the shadows below. Whatever this guy was doing down here, he was way out of his league now.  
  
With the vampires surrounding him, Agent Meyers was about to start shooting, he knew he wouldn't kill them, but perhaps he could slow them down enough to make a retreat and maybe attract the rest of the squad. Then a female said something.  
  
"You know, you guys invite a girl over to party and all you want to do is stand around and talk. What kind of lame ass dance club is this?"  
  
Standing behind the vampires in front of agent Meyers was an attractive young woman with long wavy brown hair. She was wearing a long back duster over what appeared to be leather pants and some kind of lacey top. She was slightly dirty but definitely not a vagrant the clothes were expensive and new.  
  
"This is a private party." One of the vampires said as they started to move around her. "But you're welcome to join us for dessert."  
  
Meyers and the woman made eye contact. Her eyes changed from indignant party girl to predator. "Down."  
  
Agent John Meyers didn't have a lot of field time but he had enough to instinctively drop to the ground on that command. Something flew by making an audible thunk almost exactly where he'd been standing. He looked up in time to see one of the creatures had come up behind him. It now had a wooden stake in its chest and just enough time to look surprised before collapsing into dust.  
  
The young woman leaned aside as one of the vampires lunged at her bringing another stake to meet it in the chest as well. She used the momentum to spin around, allowing her long black coat to swirl out around her. As she faced back into the crowd again she had a cross bow in one hand and a short sword in the other. The closest vampire received a straight legged kick square to the chest sending it flying twenty feet and impaling on a broken pipe protruding from the wall.  
  
"That's impossible." Meyers muttered as he watched the woman walk further into the midst of the group. Two steps and she fired the cross bow at another vampire. Before the small wooden bolt struck its intended, the weapon had clattered to the ground and she was swinger her sword at another creature. An arm dropped to the ground but the before its owner could scream she had reversed her swing and taking its head. The head bounced once before it and the body turned to dust, leaving the severed arm behind.  
  
In minutes the fight was over, the young woman had waded into the surprised vampires before they could coordinate an attack. She moved so fast he often saw only blurs of motion. Soon it was over and Meyers was standing back up. The girl walked back to him, kicking her crossbow up into her hands as she approached. "You shouldn't be playing down here all by yourself." She purred like she was saying something really sexy to him. As she spoke, she reloaded her bow and with glance over her shoulder finished off the vampire still impaled on the pipe.  
  
"Who are you?" Meyers was finally able to ask.  
  
"I'm Faith," She replied. She was now standing directly in front of him. "Apparently I'm your guardian angel."  
  
Before Meyers could respond, she leaned up and pulled him into a long passionate kiss.  
  
After finally pulling away she smiled. "Not bad for a skinny white guy." She looked down the tunnel he'd come out. "I think your friends have finally caught up."  
  
Meyers looked down the tunnel to see a light moving toward him then back to Faith. She was gone.  
  
Faith sat back on the ledge watching the new agents arrive. Four men dressed the same as the first were accompanied by someone or something else. The one leading up the middle was at least a head and shoulders taller than the rest and seemed twice as wide. His size wasn't the only thing that made him stand out, instead of the black trench coat and suit the others were wearing; he had a long, brown leather duster that had seen better days a long time ago. But it wasn't his size or his attire that really made him stand out, nor was it his strange under the chin beard and goatee, it was the fact that he was red, had a spiked tail and what appeared to be horn stubs protruding from his forehead. He was probably the one referred to as "Red".  
  
"Well Agent Meyers, what did you get yourself into this time?" One of the other agents asked.  
  
The big guy, Red, walked around kicking at the piles of vampire dust ending with nudging the arm with his foot. He dug the stub of an old cigar from his pocket, clenched it in the corner of his mouth and lit it with a match struck on his rock covered right arm. After taking a couple of puffs he said "Vampires."  
  
"You fought vampires?" One of the agents asked. "What happened?"  
  
Meyers looked sheepish. "Actually, I just sort of ducked out of the way while this girl, ah I mean young woman fought them."  
  
"What some homeless street person thought they were invading her turf or something?"  
  
"Maybe it was someone who lost somebody to vampires, if she knows how to fight and kill vampires, a civilian might be able to take out one or two." Another agent suggested.  
  
"Actually, she took out six or eight." Meyers said. "She was anything but normal and from the weapons she had, she came looking for a fight."  
  
"Damn." Red muttered.  
  
"What?" Meyers turned to the demon.  
  
"Now I've gotten competition when I'm looking for something to pound."  
  
"Sirs," one of the agents who had been talking on his radio interjected. "Base said they will pick us up at the Times Square exit in half an hour. We'd better get going."  
  
The team turned and headed back down the alley. Last to leave was the demon. He stood at the exit for a moment a looked right back at Faith. She wondered if he could really see her, then he was gone, clomping down the passage after his companions.  
  
Faith looked at her watch. Half an hour to Times Square, if she was where she thought, she could make it above ground in fifteen minutes. She ran down her ledge and jumped back up to the next level the way she'd come down. Faith wanted to find out more about these people. She didn't think they were part of the Initiative. From everything she'd been told, those people would not be patrolling the tunnels of New York City with a large, armed, horned, red skinned demon.  
  
To be continued...... 


	2. In The Morning

Faith sat in a thin stretch of woods somewhere outside of the city. She really had no clue where she was, but figured she could get back to someplace familiar without a lot of effort. She still wasn't sure if following the group from the tunnels was a good idea. The garbage truck they'd climbed into the back of was easy enough for the slayer to follow until it headed toward the bridge. She really wasn't sure if traffic surfing on top of a clandestine government undercover garbage truck had been one of her better ideas. The dark slayer grinned it had been fun when she wasn't dodging cross members on that old bridge.  
  
When she saw the first car of their caravan turn into a fenced compound Faith decided she didn't know enough about these people to risk sneaking into the facility at night. For all she knew it was some kind of army base or military compound. Now she looked across the street at the water pumping station. Now just what is the water authority doing with a garbage truck, a bunch of guys in black suits and big red demon with his horns shaved off?  
  
A smile came to Faith's face as she envisioned the Scooby gang sitting around the table in the old school library all coming up with lame excuses why the water authority would need a garbage truck and a large red demon with his horns shaved off. She didn't smile at the excuses themselves because she really couldn't think of any but more of the bonding and silliness that her friends lived for. It was always amazing how after all this time she finally truly felt a part of the gang. Not just an ancillary member, like all the new slayers, but a charter member, a true Scooby, she finally found her niche among her only real friends. Real bonding took place when you walked into Hell with somebody.  
  
A taxi stopped at the gate letting a woman in her mid to late twenties got out of the cab. She had shoulder length black hair held flat by a dark knit hat. She clutched the heavy navy peacoat she wore close as she approached a call box by the gate. She spoke into the old box and slid an ID card into a slot. The face of the box slid away revealing a high tech retinal scanner which the woman looked into briefly until it retracted back into the pillar and the face of the old call box slid back into place. Soon the front gate swung opened and she walked in.  
  
What to do? Faith pondered the question. She was hungry and getting tired; she'd been up for nearly twenty four hours and she didn't want to just leave. Besides, how would she investigate? She could hunt for these people in the tunnels again, then what? Follow them back here again? What would that do? Too bad she couldn't just ask that Meyers guy from last night what the hell was going on and what the story with Mr. big and ugly was.  
  
Why not? B. was the one about research and paranoia, Faith was the one about just walking in the front door and asking. Even before Faith finished her thought, she had already stepped out of the woods and was headed to the gate and the call box.  
  
Special Agent John Meyers sat at his desk in the large open office area staring at his computer screen. He'd been sitting here trying to write his field report since getting back from the mission. He had to explain how the team had been going out every night for a mount to hunt vampires and never took swords or stakes with them, he had to explain how he got separated from his team and he had to explain how a civilian had to save and then allowed to leave without question. He couldn't do it, everything he wrote made himself sound like an incompetent goof and that girl, Faith, sound like some super hero. Plus it didn't help that everybody was avoiding him and when they weren't, they were trying not to laugh at him. Even Hellboy couldn't look him in the eye without suppressing laughter and Abe who wasn't on the mission was avoiding him.  
  
The elevator had arrived a few minutes earlier and now Liz Sherman entered the open office area. Agent Meyers saw Liz walk in and stood to great her. She walked up to him and smiled.  
  
Before he could say anything, she said. "Nice lipstick, but I think a lighter shade of red is more your color." At this the whole room burst into peels of laughter.  
  
Meyers jumped to a nearby window between office areas and tried see his reflection in the glass. Sure enough dark red lipstick was smeared across his mouth where Faith had kissed him. "Thanks for telling me guys," he said as he grabbed some tissues from his desk and headed to the rest room while wiping his mouth. "I really appreciate it." Another round of laughter followed him down the narrow hall.  
  
When Meyers returned to the office area everybody was gathered with Director Manning standing in the middle. They were obviously waiting form him.  
  
"You have a visitor." Manning said in greeting. "A young woman calling herself Faith is asking for you at the gate."  
  
"What?! There's no way she could have followed us."  
  
"Never the less, she's here."  
  
"Ah, well, I'll to see what she wants and try to get rid of her."  
  
"No," Manning said then turned and pressed a button on the phone for security and said to the speaker. "Send her down." He looked back to Meyers. "Go meet her at the elevator and bring her directly to my office." Then to Hellboy who was sitting at one of the desks with his feet up. "I believe your breakfast is ready." He indicated the carts of eggs, bacon and pancakes now being pushed down the hall toward Hellboy's quarters.  
  
Hellboy jumped to his feet and did a mock left handed salute. "Yes sir, I'll make myself scarce so as not to scare the little vampire hunter."  
  
Faith walked through the empty pump house across a rich dark blue marble floor. The security guard motioned for her to stop when she was half way across so she was standing on a strange symbol of a hand clutching a sword. "Watch your hands and elbows." The old man said just as the floor dropped away beneath her.  
  
To be continued...................... 


	3. In The BPRD

Bump In The Night  
Chapter 3 "...In The BPRD"  
By OldScout  
  
Faith stepped through the double blast doors the lift had deposited her in front of. Waiting for her was Agent Meyers. He held out his hand. "I'm Special Agent John Meyers."  
  
"Hey John," Faith said and took his hand. "Nice place you got here." She looked around at the mixture of industrial bomb shelter, sterile office suite, and old world wood paneling. "Real homey."  
  
"Won't you come this way?" He gestured down the hall.  
  
"So, J." Faith followed and smiled as he cringed at the use of his initial; he was going to be fun. "You going to fill me in or should I start guessing and making shit up?"  
  
"Director Manning asked me to bring you to his office. But I would like to know what you were doing down there last night."  
  
"You mean besides saving your ass?"  
  
"Yea, besides saving my ass."  
  
"My job. You?"  
  
"The same."  
  
"Good, now that we have that cleared up..." Faith said as they stopped in front of an office. Meyers knocked and went in without waiting for a reply and introduced Faith to Director Manning.  
  
Director Manning stood up and reached across his desk to shake Faith's hand. "Nice to meet you Faith," He said in greeting. "Won't you take your coat off and have seat." He gestured toward Agent Meyers. "Agent Meyers, won't you take the lady's jacket?"  
  
Faith looked at the man suspiciously then dropped the long black duster off her shoulders and held it out towards Agent Meyers dangling it from her finger tips. The agent nearly dropped it from the unexpected weight. Faith grinned watching him fumble to get a better grip on the garment. The coat rack he hung it on almost tilted over from the weight and it took him several tries to get the balance right.  
  
Meyers sat next to Faith with his chair turned so he could see her and the Director. She sat lounged back in her chair, bare arms draped across the arms of the chair and feet sticking straight out in front of her, one foot stacked on the other, heel to toe.  
  
"So Manny, what's the scoop?" Faith asked as soon as Director Manning was sitting and looking toward her. "I don't think that you give a guided tour of this little place to anybody who walks up and pushes that button."  
  
"You're quite right, Miss, ah, Faith." The balding director said. "We are extremely selective in whom we allow into our operation, let alone even to know of our existence."  
  
She cocked an eye brow at him waiting for him to continue.  
  
"We are the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, or BPRD."  
  
"Burp?"  
  
"It does not spell burp." Agent Meyers said.  
  
"Close enough." Faith grinned at him.  
  
"Ah, Faith, you are here, because I would like to offer you a job."  
  
Meyers and Faith both spoke at the same time. "A job? You don't know anything about her?" "A job? You don't know anything about me?"  
  
"Wait a minute." Faith said standing up and backing toward her jacket. "This isn't part of the Initiative? B. warned me about those bastards. This was some sort of set up wasn't it?  
  
"Please, Faith," Manning tried to reassure her. "We are not part of the D.R.I."  
  
"The what?" Faith and Meyers asked together.  
  
"The Demon Research Initiative." Manning clarified. "They're sort of our bastard half cousin." He smiled. "And I'm sure they would have just as an amusing description of us."  
  
Faith remained standing by her jacket continuing to glare at him.  
  
Manning hung his head for a second then said. "Okay, this was a bit of a setup, but it was really no more then setting out some bait to get your attention and hoping you'd pay us a visit. You see I became aware of the work your friends were doing in Sunnydale from the Initiative. I became intrigued by the idea of civilians doing a job such as this. From what I could glean from their reports was that your friends in Sunnydale were actually conducting business more like the BPRD."  
  
"How's that." Faith was intrigued. She'd never really been involved with the Initiative and had only a short exposure to the Scoobies day to day operations before the final battles.  
  
Manning gestured at Faith's chair which she finally returned to. "You see, the Initiative looked at demons like animals. They applied human and non- mystical standards to them. Our mission is not only to protect, but to understand. We understand that the world of the paranormal operates under its own rules.  
  
When Doctor Broom, the founder of the BPRD, discovered that a slayer really existed he wanted us to go right out there and recruit her. However with the disastrous encounter with the Initiative, our analysts decided she would not fit in here, and in fact had her own destiny to follow."  
  
"So I'm your second choice. You knew B. wouldn't give you the time of day so you figured you'd go with the consolation prize."  
  
"Unless I missed something, you walked into the hell mouth with Miss Summers, did you not? You took on the Beast, knowing full well that you probably couldn't hurt it let alone defeat it, did you not?"  
  
"Well, a lot of other girls followed us into Hell and they weren't slayers yet. You want to talk about bravery; that took some real guts."  
  
"They followed, but you and Miss Summers lead. You two are the experienced Slayers you know the streets and what's under them. Those other girls won't be ready for a long time. Miss Summers now has family to be concerned with, business obligations, slayers to train and frankly I don't think she would fit in here.  
  
"You on the other hand, still have a debt to pay and you have no choice but to continue your battles. You are caught between the need to fight the good fight, and pay your debt."  
  
"Hey, I'm legal here, I've got some kind of special furlough, I think Angel arranged it, I can go any where I want as long I as check in once a month and anytime I change cities."  
  
"Faith, your friend Angel didn't arrange your furlough, I did." Manning made the admission almost in a whisper.  
  
Instead of the surge of rage and accusations of coercion he was expecting, Faith began to laugh. "So that's it, that's the price of my freedom. Xander said I was going to pay the piper one of these days, because even if it was Angel, Wolfram and Hart never do anything simply as a gesture of good will. I'd rather rot in prison then be forced to work for anybody." She got up and headed for her jacket a second time.  
  
"I'm sorry you feel that way Faith." Manning said. "But there is no ultimatum it is a waste to keep you behind bars as long as your willing to fight the darkness. If you do not wish to join us, then the conditions of your furlough still stand. However, if you do join us, then you will not have to make your monthly phone calls or notify anybody of your whereabouts except of course us, since we'll be your employers. Plus you will be on the government payroll, with a new clean identity and other perks of working for a well funded government organization."  
  
"I can't just disappear. I owe my friends, and they still count on me to take care of more, ah, troublesome situations."  
  
"I'm not asking you to. You can stay in touch; in fact, I was thinking you could become our liaison with them. You know I bet both of our organizations could use a little extra muscle every now and then."  
  
"They don't play well with others." Faith smiled. "Especially the government."  
  
"That's where you'd come in."  
  
"I don't play well with just about anybody."  
  
"Then you'd fit in just fine here."  
  
"Can I think about it?"  
  
"Of course, just call your furlough number if you ever decide to take me up on it."  
  
"You'd get the message?"  
  
Manning pointed at an answering machine sitting on a nearby dark wood credenza. "There's your furlough line. That's how I knew when to start sending the boys out vampire hunting. I figured you'd run into each other eventually.  
  
Do you have any more questions before we give you the full tour?"  
  
"Um I have a few questions." Meyers finally broke his silence. "What is a Slayer? Who or what was the Beast? What's a Hell Mouth? And who's Miss Summers?"  
  
To Be Continued............... 


	4. In The Den

  
  
**Chapter 4  
"...In The Den"**  
  
"All in good time." Manning said leading the way out of his office; Faith shrugged on her duster as she left, followed closely by Agent Meyers.  
  
The trio walked down a narrow hallway lined with glass display cases full of artifacts. Faith carefully studied the artifacts. She recognized several from her infrequent yet intense research sessions she shared with the gang. It was always a disturbing thing to see Faith involved in research; either there was a really big bad that needed all hands on deck to help with the research or Faith was bored and neither was a good thing.  
  
Near the end of the hall, they passed an unmarked door with no handle or latch. It was an original shelter door that looked more like a hatch way from a submarine. Faith stopped a stared at the door. She felt something that shouldn't be there, couldn't be there. She reached out and touched the door with finger tips. "What's in here?"  
  
Director Manning stopped and looked at Faith and the door for a second. "It's a store room with more artifacts."  
  
"Can I see?"  
  
"Perhaps another time, there's still a lot of people to meet and more interesting areas to see."  
  
"Of course," Faith smiled and shook her hair back out of her face. As soon as she got out of here, she had to call B.  
  
They entered a large dark wood paneled room with an old world feel to it. Two walls were covered floor to ceiling with books; a spiral stair case wound its way up next to book case to a walk way two thirds of the way up. The walk way ran the length of a wall with exits from the room at either end. The room was littered with old wood furniture, stacks of books and other items that may have been found in a Victorian library. An old gold lettered sign attached to the edge walkway Faith could barely make out the faded lettering "In The Absence Of Light, Darkness Prevails."  
  
The wall next to the staircase was a wall made up of four large panels of glass holding a very large tank of blue-green water. In front of each panel an old ornate book stand stood facing the glass with an open book on it. A tall thin man swam out from a concealed portion of the tank. He had dark blue-green skin, no hair, large bulbous black eyes, a flat nose and gills.  
  
"Hey Abe," Meyers said. "This is the girl from last night I was talking about, Faith. Faith, this is Abe Sapien, one of our more unique associates."  
  
"Hello Miss Faith." Abe said. "Don't worry, dear Lady, I am not the demon around here."  
  
Faith snapped around to Director Manning. "How'd he know that's what I was thinking?"  
  
"One of Abe's many traits is his enlarged frontal lobe; he's able to pick up what people are thinking and a few other things."  
  
Faith was immediately in front of Abe with just the glass of the tank between them. She slapped her hand on the glass causing the whole take vibrate. "Stay out of my head, Flipper, it's not a pleasant place."  
  
Abe darted to the back of the tank out of reflex from Faith's attack then drifted forward. "My apologies, ma'am, but glancing into someone's mind just comes naturally for me, like smell does for you. Can you choose to not smell something when you wish to?"  
  
Turning away, Faith looked back at him. "You better learn, Flipper, or can you say sushi?"  
  
"Agent Meyers," Abe said looking to the young Agent. "I believe it is best if I make my self scarce. We can have our morning chat later perhaps?" Without waiting for a response, Abe disappeared into his private areas of the tank.  
  
As Abe disappeared, Agent Meyers suggested. "Perhaps it's time to introduce the Big Guy."  
  
"You mean the big red ugly guy with the shaved off horns?"  
  
"He's not ugly." A female voice interjected from one the room's many doorways.  
  
"Ah Liz, come in." Director Manning called to the brunette Faith had seen come in earlier. "Liz, I'd like you to meet Faith, a potential new member of our team.  
  
"Faith, this is Liz Sherman, a very valuable member of the Bureau."  
  
Liz was wearing a heavy dark blue sweater, baggy black cargo pants and brown leather shoes. Her long black hair clung to her head, from the knit hat she'd been wearing when Faith first saw her.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Liz said and held out her hand while looking Faith over. She turned to Meyers before Faith could respond. "You know, that color lipstick looks much better on her then you."  
  
Meyers forced a smile as Faith choked back a laugh. "He wore it that long? He didn't notice and nobody told him?"  
  
"Keep laughing." Meyers said. "It's obvious what a mature group of children I work with."  
  
Liz turned back to Faith. "So what kind of freak are you?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well it's obvious you're not already with the FBI, that leaves freak." She pointed to the empty tank. "You've met Abe, and have at least seen H. B."  
  
"So are you an Agent or a Freak?" Faith asked in response.  
  
Liz held up her hand and a nearly invisible blue flame engulfed it briefly. "I am definitely not an Agent."  
  
"Wicked cool." Faith said with a genuine grin. "So what are you, witch or something?"  
  
"Liz is a pyro-kinetic." Meyers offered.  
  
After a blank stare from Faith Liz said "I can start fires with my mind."  
  
This was rewarded with another smile from Faith. "How big?"  
  
"Depends."  
  
"Let me guess, it's tied to your emotions."  
  
"How'd you know?"  
  
"Shit like that always is."  
  
"Of course." Meyers agreed as if it was so obvious.  
  
Faith was sniffing the air and declared "Bacon and pancakes. Where's the cafeteria? I could go for some breakfast?"  
  
"That's H. B.'s breakfast." Meyers informed Faith.  
  
"H. B.?" Faith raised an eyebrow punctuating her question.  
  
"Hell Boy." Director Manning said. "He's the big fellow you saw last night."  
  
"You still didn't answer my question." Liz crossed her arms and stood in the door way to the hall that lead to Hell Boy's chambers.  
  
"I'm a slayer." Faith finally said.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You know, I've been asking the same thing." Meyers said.  
  
"All in good time." Director Manning looked as Liz. "Now Liz, why don't you let us by so we can introduce Hell Boy to Faith here?"

To Be Continued.......


	5. In The Vault

**Chapter 5.**

**"... In the Vault"**

**By OldScout**

At the end of a narrow hallway a large vault stood open. The door was nearly two meters thick and made of massive steal plates and locking rods. The aroma of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and cat litter wafted out of the giant vault. An agent stood outside the door waiting for the group to approach.

"So Myers, is this your little vampire hunter?" The tall clean cut agent asked.

"Agent Schumer, this is Faith."

"She going to meet the big guy?"

Faith stepped up real close to the agent and rubbed against him. "No, Johnny was telling me all about you and I just had to check you out for myself." Faith declared in a silky voice.

The agent blushed and loosened his tie. "Well you know..."

Faith backed away and turned to Meyers. "You're right, he is a jerk." She headed to the door. "Come on lets go meet your pet." As she spoke, Faith handed Meyers an agency issued automatic.

"What's this?"

"Mister Doorman doesn't know how to keep it in its holster."

Hellboy's quarters were an old vault. The room was filled with stuff. Old televisions sat everywhere. Small televisions hung from the ceiling, several old council televisions lined the far wall piled high with other things, TVs were perched on top of old refrigerators and every one was turned on. Most ran cartoons; one had a news channel on and some hissed static. A homemade workout bench welded from angle iron and set of barbells and dumbbells dominated the center of the room. The far side of the room to the right was the bed of a pickup truck made into a couch and next to it was an unmade platform bed probably half again the size of king sized bed. The walls were covered with posters, pictures and other artifacts and every available space had something in it or on. The room was the lair of an unrepentant pack rat. Wandering among the clutter was a countless number of cats. Finally, sitting on carts and on any available table space were large serving bowls of food; scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and pancakes, lots of pancakes.

"Well, Meyers, who's your little friend?"

Liz groaned to herself looking at H.B.; when she'd left him just minutes before he was lounging on the couch reading a comic book waiting for Meyers to bring the vampire hunter in. Now he stood with his shirt off doing one armed curls with a very heavy dumbbell. Boys will be boys.

Faith looked at the tall heavily muscled demon with shaved off horns. He had his shirt exposing the intricate patterns carved into his red skin; the stub of an unlit cigar was jammed in the corner of his mouth and he was doing one armed curls with a very heavy dumbbell. She walked across the room, grabbing a pancake out of one of the bowls as she went. "Nice place ya' got here."

"Ah Faith, that's for.." Meyers started as Faith rolled up the pancake and took a bite. Too late.

The welcoming smirk turned into a frown as Faith took a bite of the pancake, then another. Hellboy couldn't believe it, nobody touched his food, it just wasn't done. The woman walked across the room and it looked like she was headed for his custom made recliner.

"Nice chair." Faith said as she approached the recliner.

"I'd offer you a seat." Hellboy replied as he dropped the dumbbell on the chair with a very solid thud. "But it seems there's not any place available." He said the last with almost a growl.

"Hey, no problem." Faith smiled, picked up the dumbbell, tossed it ten feet into the truck bed couch and hopped up in to the chair. "This will do fine." As she reclined back she touched the floor with her toe and spun the chair to look at Hellboy. "Pretty comfy chair ya' got here Red." Faith finished her pancake then spied a Baby Ruth candy bar on a table next to the chair.

Hellboy noticed Faith eye the candy bar and reached for it as she did. The candy bar was open and had its first bite taken out before he realized she'd gotten to it first. A low growl voiced his displeasure.

"So, H." Faith asked after swallowing the first bite of candy. "What kind of demon are you?" She watched his rock encased right hand twitch and raise a little as she took another bite.

Why was she deliberately baiting Hellboy? Liz watched in disbelief as Faith sat in Hellboy's chair, ate his favorite treat and asked him blunt questions about who or what he was. She had to ask "So Faith, why are you trying to antagonizing Hellboy? You just met him. Do you want him to pound you into a little spot of grease?"

Faith rolled her head back and looked at Liz. "He could try." She smiled and looked back at Hellboy. "My guess is that you're some kind of apocalypse demon. I really hope that little adventure has come and gone, I've had my share of apocalypses, ah, apocalie, ah, whatever, for a while."

Hellboy clutched his fists, growled and turned to Director Manning. "Who is she? Get her out of my chair and tell her to stop eating my food."

"Ah, Faith," Agent Meyers said. "We find it best not to deliberately irritate Hellboy, he tends to get destructive."

"Oh, but he looks like such a little pussy cat." Faith cooed. She jumped out of the chair and stepped up to Hellboy. "So tell me, is the size of a demon's tail related to the size of any other parts?" Faith smiled. She didn't know something with red skin could blush

"Hey!" Liz exclaimed. "That's enough!"

"Oh." Faith looked over at Liz. "I guess we can save that question for some girl talk later."

Small blue flames erupted from the tips of Liz's fingers.

"Control yourself." Director Manning ordered. "She's just trying to push people's buttons so she knows where we stand."

"Is she joining the team?" Hellboy practically growled. "Why?"

"She's a Slayer." Manning admitted.

"A Slayer, ah?" Hellboy looked at the little brunette standing less then an arm length away. "Are you sure?"

Both Manning and Faith nodded.

"What's a Slay..." Meyers didn't get a chance to finish repeating his question before Hellboy hit Faith with a powerful left handed punch.

Faith saw the punch coming and could have ducked it but knew she had to take it and it was going to hurt.

He wasn't actually expecting to connect with the Slayer so Hellboy had put more strength into the upper cut punch then he needed. The hit landed squarely to Faith's jaw and she flew across the room hitting the self covered metal vault wall with a solid thud. Hellboy grimaced. If he hit a normal human that hard he'd kill her, he knew it. He really hoped they weren't wrong about her being The Slayer.

"Christ, H.B. what'd you do?" Meyers exclaimed as he rushed after Faith.

Liz was in shock she'd never seen him hit a human like that before. Sure Faith was being annoying but she really wasn't that bad.

Faith bounced off the wall and hit the floor with a perfect three point landing followed by a shower of debris from the shelves there were just destoryed. After coughing up a wad of blood, she stood up and pointed a loaded crossbow at Hellboy. "You get one freebie." She said. "Next one you're going to have to earn."

"Well hot damn!" Hellboy smiled and turned to Director Manning enthusiastically "You really recruited yourself The Slayer? Too bad Father wasn't here, he'd be thrilled."

"Okay," Meyers had stopped halfway to Faith. "Would somebody please tell me exactly what a Slayer is?"

"Yea, this I gotta hear." Liz added.

"This is great." Hellboy said to Faith. "It never even occurred to me he was talking about The Slayer when Meyers was describing you last night. Father only found the legend of the Slayer a few years ago and thought it was just a myth."

"Yea, I get that a lot." Faith replied as she put her crossbow away.

"What." John asked.

"Is." Liz added.

"The Slayer?" They both said at the same time.

"Mind if I tell them?" Hellboy asked Faith.

"This I gotta hear." Faith replied.

"Okay, it goes something like this." Hellboy said. "Into each generation, a girl is born. One girl in the entire world with the strength and speed to fight the vampires, demons and other forces of evil; she is The Slayer." He straightened his shoulders proud he remembered the whole thing.

"Yep, that's pretty much it except there being only one part." Faith said. "It's a long story but now there are whole bunch of us."

"Wait a minute." John interrupted. "You mean to say you fight demons for a living?"

"Dieing is much of a living." Faith responded and took another bite of her candy bar.

"Dieing?" Liz asked.

"Slayers have a notoriously short life span." Director Manning supplied. "According to my sources, Faith is one of the longer living Slayers."

"It helped that I was on ice for a couple of years."

"What do you mean?" Liz looked at the woman.

"You know, coma, prison stuff like that."

"Okay people." Director Manning interrupted. "We have work to do and I'm sure Faith here would like to get home and think about what she's seen here today."

"Yea, about that." Faith said. "How exactly do I get home from here?"

"I'll pay for a cab." Manning said. "He'll take you were ever you want."

It was time to make her escape. Faith knew it. She was tired and now hurting, she had to get out of here and call B. A hot shower and long soak in the Jacuzzi were also in order. After popping the last bite of the candy bar in her mouth, Faith grabbed another pancake and wrapped it around some bacon while listening to Hellboy growl about his food. "Okay, I'm ready. I'll call in a couple of days and let you know of our decision."

By the time Faith made off the lift, she could barely stand. The punch along with lack of any real food and no sleep was really starting to take its toll. The second she cleared the gate and was standing on the street waiting for her cab she was dialing international long distance to London.

"Hey B. it's me." Faith said quietly as she walked a few steps away from the gate. "Where's the Scythe?"

**To be continued......**


	6. In The Case

**Chapter 6**

**"..In The Case"**

**By OldScout**

"Hi Faith!" Buffy said cheerily. "I'm doing fine. So glad you asked."

"Sorry, I've just had a long night, not really think'in of pleasantries and shit." Faith said. "Now, is the scythe there?" Faith leaned back against the wall surrounding the Burp compound.

"The Scythe?" Buffy frowned. "It's up stairs why? Is there a problem? It had better not be an apocalypse; I just had my nails done."

"No apocalypse that I know of." Faith replied then mumbled "For now." She switched ears and continued. "I just wanted to make sure it's actually there."

"Faith, what's going on? Do I need to call people?"

"No, nothing like that." Faith sighed. "I just thought I felt it today and wanted to be sure. Can you just go upstairs and lay hands on it? Just humor me. I'll call you later with the low down, after I get some sleep."

"Is that Faith?" Faith heard a familiar voice behind Buffy.

"Yeah." Buffy said. "Here, say hi while I go check on something."

Faith heard the phone change hands. "Hey, Faith, wotcha doin'?" A girl asked.

"Hey Sarah, how's it going?" Faith smiled. Since she had made first contact with the street kid and newly activated slayer she'd become the girl's mentor. Faith and Buffy often called each other sister, and in a sense they were, but for the first time Faith thought she had an idea of the relationship Buffy and Dawn shared. Sarah wasn't Faith's real sister, nobody was, but somehow the girl filled that need she didn't know she had.

"We was down in the catacombs last night." Sarah informed Faith happily. "I found a really cool old crossbow. I'm going to hang it on the wall over my bed."

"Sarah, what did I tell you about those catacombs?" Faith frowned. The catacombs under London were dangerous to anybody, even a trained slayer.

"Miss Summers, ah, Buffy was with us." Sarah defended. "It was her idea how to display the crossbow."

"Congratulations." Faith said as earnestly has her tired mind allowed.

"Fer what, Faith?"

"If B took you down to the cats' it means you're doing well."

"Spose' so." Faith could hear the smile on the girl's face. "Do you think I'll be allowed to go patrollin' by myself soon?"

"B's call, girl." Faith said. "Don't let me hear about you sneakn' out or I'll come over there and kick your ass."

"I used to live on the streets." Sarah said. "I survived and I wasn't no slayer then."

"But you were smart enough to run from trouble, not to it." Faith replied.

"Buffy's back." Sarah said. "Talk to you later."

"Later, Kid." Faith said as she heard the phone being passed back to Buffy.

"What's going on Faith?" Buffy asked when she got the back.

"You sure the scythe is there?" Faith asked as she watched her cab pull up.

"I've got it right here. Listen."

Faith heard the hum of the small weapon swinging in The Slayer's hand. "B, my cab's here, I have to go, but I think there may be another one."

"What?"

"I'll call you in a few hours and tell you everything." Faith closed her phone and fell into the cab giving her address as she melted into the back seat.

**To be continued…….**

--


	7. In The Apartment

**"…In The Apartment."**

**By OldScout**

"They're tied in." A male voice said from behind Faith.

"What?" Faith turned to see a balding man wearing a sport coat and slacks. The man held up a covered serving dish.

"They're tied in." The man said as he held out the dish. "The apocalypse walks with them."

Faith frowned. "Does it need slain?"

"It's a key without a lock." The man said motioning to the covered dish, apparently wanting her to uncover it. "A dish without a meal."

Hesitating slightly, Faith reached out and took the lid off the serving dish. The dish was covered with cheese slices, squares, chunks and wedges. "What f'ck's this?"

"American, gouda, monster, cheddar, bleu …" the man replied as a bell started to ring.

Faith woke to the sound of her phone ringing. She crawled under her satin sheets until she could reach her phone without sitting up. "What!"

"Hey, Faith, wakey, wakey." Came an all too familiar voice.

"Shit, B, I said I'd call in a couple of hours." Faith growled.

"It's been fourteen." Buffy replied. "Now get your head out from under the covers, scratch yourself a few times and tell me what that call was all about."

Faith peeked out from under the blankets to look at the clock. "Christ, B, shouldn't you be out huntn' or something and not wake'n me up?"

"Came home early just to be your personal alarm clock. Besides, we don't hunt, we patrol."

"The minis may patrol, B, you and I hunt."

Buffy replied. "So you up yet?"

"No." Faith pulled the blankets and red satin sheets back over her head.

"How about now?" Buffy waited a beat and asked again. "How about now?"

"Fine, fine." Faith flung the sheets and blankets back and stood up then complained "Shit its cold." She ran across her suite nearly tripping over a battle axe she'd left leaning against a dresser.

"That's what Yummie Sushi jammies are for." Buffy laughed as she heard the heater fan start in the bathroom. "You up now?" Buffy asked again. "How about now?"

"Okay, B, give me a minute." Buffy heard the phone get put down, the toilet flush, a crash and more swearing. After several more minutes several more crashes and a string expletives Faith finally picked up the phone. "Yo, B, I'm back."

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked slightly concerned as she tried very hard not to laugh.

"Five by five, why?"

"I just heard a little ah... commotion on your end." Buffy stated.

"Must have been the TV." Faith suggested as she wrapped a bandage around a gash on her foot. "So, what's up?"

"What's up? Faith you're the one who called me this morning all concerned about the scythe and saying something about finding another one." Buffy reminded her friend. "Hello, that's my line. So Faith, what's up?"

"Oh, yea, that. I guess it wasn't a dream." Faith said as she wrapped medical tape around her foot.

"What was that noise?" Buffy asked.

"What noise?" Faith replied quickly as she ripped the tape off the roll.

"It sounded like medical tape peeling off the little metal cylinder thingy it comes on." Buffy stated.

"No it didn't."

"Faith," Buffy bit her tongue trying not to laugh picturing Faith sitting in the bathroom repairing the injury caused by whatever crash she'd heard earlier. "I know medical tape when I hear it. We buy it by the crate here."

"Fine, I stubbed my toe. No big." The tape roll clanked as Faith tossed it on the counter. "B, have you ever heard of any other government agencies that deal with weird shit other then the Initiative?"

There was silence on the line. "No. Why?"

"I was contacted by some group called Burp or some stupid shit like that." Faith said as she limped into her bedroom looking for clothes.

"Burp?" Buffy considered the name. "What in the world does that mean?"

"Well, it's not exactly, Burp, I just don't remember what exactly it was. Burp really seemed to annoy them though."

"Ah, Faith, could you try to remember what this group is called and what it has to do with the scythe?" Buffy tried not to let the worry she was suddenly feeling creep into her voice. She did not want some government project like the Initiative get its clutches on Faith.

"Okay, it's something like the Bureau of Paranormal Defense and Research."

"How'd you get Burp out of that?" Buffy asked in disbelief of the stretch.

"I don't know. It seemed obvious and funny at the time." Faith replied. She then went into a quick overview of her evening but was careful not to mention Flipper, Carrie, or Mister Ugly. She didn't want to go off on that tangent yet.

"So this guy's the one who got you furloughed?" Buffy asked to make sure she had it right. This was definitely not of the good. "And he's essentially your parole officer?"

"Pretty much." Faith had returned to bed and now sat cross legged with her blankets wrapped around her shoulders.

"And the scythe?"

"When Director Manning was giving me a tour, he showed me a sealed room that he said they had artifacts stored in. That's when I thought I felt it."

"You have to get in that room, Faith." Buffy said.

"Yea, B, I know." Faith paused and sighed a little. "What should I tell them?"

"I don't know." Buffy considered for a second. "You know how I feel about the military."

"They're not military." Faith clarified. "I get the feeling they're not real happy with the Initiative."

"Do you trust them? In the end, this is your call." This time it was Buffy's turn to sigh. "Is there anything else you haven't mentioned?"

"Yea." Faith admitted. "They have others working for them."

"What! They've got other slayers?"

"No, other, ah, people with unique abilities." Faith then gave Buffy a quick run down of Flipper, Carrie, and Mr. Ugly.

"Okay," Buffy said. "The big red demon with horns and a tail is the most troublesome sounding."

"Yea, you know, B, I kinda think he's an apocalypse demon of some sort." Faith agreed.

"Do you think these people are planning something?" Buffy asked. "I mean why else have a demon like that?"

"I really got the feeling he was a stray." Faith commented. "In fact I got the impression all three of them were strays."

"Sounds like you'd fit right in Faith." Buffy joked.

"So what do we do?" Faith asked. She looked around at her cluttered bedroom. She lived here but it wasn't home. She realized she really didn't know anybody in the city except for people she met at the clubs she patrolled. Her only real social interaction was on the phone or conferencing with people in other cities. The local Council representatives treated her more like a client or employer then a friend and coworker.

"Go find out what you felt, if it's yours get it. I'll have some people try to find reference to your demon." Buffy stated.

"What about the offer?" Faith asked.

"You're call." Buffy said. "If you think you can trust them, get the details about them and the offer and call back we'll discuss what it."

"Okay, B, talk to you in the mornin'." Faith said. "Tell Sarah she's doin' good."

"In the morning." Buffy agreed. "Bye." The phone disconnected.

Faith reset the phone and dialed a number she knew by heart. She worked her way through the D.O.J. IVR and when she expected to get her answering machine, she got one more prompted. "Press one to speak to the Director." Faith pressed the button.

After two rings she heard. "Faith, did you make a decision?"

"I need some specifics." She replied. "And I have some requirements."

"Great." Manning said sincerely. "Hey, do you know where.." Faith heard Manning rummaging around on his desk. "Here it is." He read her an address down by the water.

"Yea, I know where it is."

"We have a line on a possible event that might be occurring tonight. Think you can be there in an hour or so? The team's packing up now."

"Yea, I can make it." Faith sized up what she needed to do; shower, she ran a hand up her rough leg, and shave. "What kind of event? What'll I need?"

"Hell Boy's preparing to do some heavy duty stomping. Of course he prepares to do heavy duty stomping when he goes for beer." Manning stated.

"Gotcha." Faith stood up. "I'll see you in an hour."

**To be continued……..**


End file.
